From: SSVF
Sent: Friday, December 18, 2020 9:16 AM
Subject: SSVF Program Update Friday December 18, 2020
Attachments: REQUEST FOR AND AUTHORIZATION TO RELEASE HEALTH
INFORMATION.pdf; CONSENT FOR PRODUCTION AND USE OF VERBAL OR WRITTEN
STATEMENTS.pdf
NEW: Emergency
Housing Assistance Guidance
REMINDER: Reinstatement
of Stage 2 of the Homelessness Prevention (HP) screener
REMINDER: Review
and Update HP Stage 2 Screening Threshold Score
RESOURCE: Creative
Staffing Strategies Webinar
REGISTER NOW:
SSVF National Webinar: January 14, 2021 2PM EST
REMINDER:
Request for Success Stories for FY2020 HPO Annual Report
NEW: Emergency
Housing Assistance Guidance
Invocation of the Stafford Act has
allowed SSVF to temporarily suspend the 45-day limit for placement of Veterans
into Emergency Housing. This flexibility was introduced early in the COVID-19
crisis, as Permanent Housing became more difficult to identify and obtain and
the risk of COVID-19 to vulnerable Veterans became apparent. SSVF sought to
ensure the safety of Veteran families who might otherwise experience living
situations that increased their risk of contracting or transmitting COVID-19.
However, SSVF’s primary goal is assisting Veterans in obtaining Permanent
Housing and ending their homelessness – as ending homelessness is of course the
best means to ensure the well-being of Veteran families.
When suitable Permanent Housing options
exist, Veteran families should be supported in moving into Permanent Housing as
soon as possible. Veterans should not remain in Emergency Housing without the
intent to move into a Permanent Housing unit when such an option is available.
This includes units support by HUD-VASH and other subsidy programs. If Veterans
prefer ongoing residential treatment or other non-permanent support,
transitional housing such as GPD or other community-based options should be
sought as long as those options can provide accommodations that meet CDC
guidelines related to social distancing and reducing the risk of COVID-19. Only
when no viable, safe option is available should hotel/motel stays be extended
beyond 45 days. Grantees should continue to use the 45-day Emergency
Housing limit as a guideline for the purpose of developing housing plans with
Veteran families. The SSVF Program Office remains committed to both ensuring
the safety of all Veterans and SSVF’s mandated goal of facilitating exits from
homelessness and into Permanent Housing solutions.
REMINDER: Reinstatement
of Stage 2 of the Homelessness Prevention (HP) screener
In response to the COVID-19 public
health crisis, the SSVF Program Office issued guidance that gave SSVF grantees
broader flexibility in delivering SSVF Homelessness Prevention SSVF
services. These flexibilities included suspending the requirement for
SSVF grantees to use Stage 2 of the Homelessness Prevention (HP) screener and
allowing grantees to enroll and assist Veterans in HP before an eviction
moratorium is lifted to mitigate economic fallout and housing loss resulting
from the pandemic.
Effective
January 1, 2021, SSVF grantees are required to use the SSVF HP Stage
2 screener again in anticipation of the growing demand for limited HP
resources as eviction moratoria expire.
The Stage 2 Screener is an important
tool for prioritizing eligible Veterans in a standardized and equitable manner
when the demand for HP assistance exceeds available program capacity or
temporary financial assistance (TFA) funding. For additional information on the
SSVF HP screening, please refer to the SSVF
Homelessness Prevention Screening Companion Guide.
REMINDER: Review
and Update HP Stage 2 Screening Threshold Score
The SSVF Program Office recommends that
SSVF grantees review and update their Stage 2 Threshold Score prior to
re-instituting Stage 2 Screening. This Threshold Score is the minimum score
in which eligible Veterans must meet to qualify for SSVF TFA and can be
adjusted as program resources and capacity allow.
Stage 2 Threshold Scores should be
established based on the current and expected HP demand, program funding, and
capacity after accounting for all RRH demand for all eligible
Veterans expected to need assistance. The Stage 2 Threshold Score is needed
when there are insufficient resources to assist all eligible Veterans
particularly those who require TFA or other ongoing HP assistance beyond
one-time or short-term rapid resolution assistance not involving TFA. When a
program has sufficient capacity to meet the prevention assistance needs of all
eligible Veterans, a Threshold Score of -0- may be used.
Grantees are not required to submit
changes to their Threshold Scores at this time. The SSVF Program Office
will provide guidance to grantees on how to submit these changes through the
grants management system when it becomes available later in the grant year.
RESOURCE: Creative
Staffing Strategies Webinar
VA has provided additional CARES funds
to SSVF grantees to provide services to Veterans during the pandemic; however,
many organizations continue to face challenges with hiring, onboarding, and
retaining staff. The SSVF Program Office, in collaboration with TA
providers, has developed a webinar featuring ideas for staffing up quickly and
supporting new employees as they learn how to support efforts to end Veteran
homelessness. The webinar features promising practices from SSVF
grantees and strategies that most agencies can implement within their
organizations. The SSVF Program Office has also created a
companion document to the webinar. Grantees may access the links to the
webinar recording and companion document below:
https://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/ssvf/docs/SSVF_Staffing_Considerations_During_COVID19.pdf
REGISTER NOW:
SSVF National Webinar: January 14, 2021 2:00 PM EST
Please register for SSVF National
Webinar: HMIS Monthly Data Reports on January 14, 2021 2:00 PM EST at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4732378721802553356
In this webinar, ABT Associates will
review the newest SSVF monthly reporting from the VA HMIS Repository and how to
interpret the results each SSVF program receives at the end of each upload
cycle. A refresher of the Data Quality Summary and Data Quality Details
reports, which are sent with every successful upload, will also be provided.
There will be an opportunity for data collection questions and clarification on
any upload concerns that have arisen within the first few uploads of the new
fiscal year. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email
containing information about joining the webinar.
REMINDER:
Request for Success Stories for FY2020 HPO Annual Report
The SSVF Program Office is seeking
success stories to include in the FY2020 VA Homeless Programs Office (HPO)
Annual Report. If you are interested in spotlighting an example of your
SSVF Program’s incredible work, please submit the following information to Regional
Coordinator Maxie Pulliam at: Maxine.Pulliam@va.gov no later than Wednesday, December 23,
2020.
•
Case
manager’s name, telephone number and email address
•
Veteran’s
name, telephone number, and email address
•
Veteran’s
demographic information (age, gender, branch of service, etc.)
•
Veteran’s
location (city and state)
•
Closest
VAMC to the Veteran
•
Overview
of Veteran’s journey from homelessness to stable housing (one-page maximum)
•
Type
of SSVF Assistance (RRH or HP)
•
Relevant
KEY services and financial assistance received
•
Picture
of client/household
•
Release
of Information (see attachments)
Regards,
SSVF Program Office